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SPANISH VERB

poner

to put

  • #15 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Gerund: poniendo
  • Past participle: puesto

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I put
  2. tú you put
  3. usted, él, ella he/she puts
  4. nosotros we put
  5. vosotros Spain you all put
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they put

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I put
  2. tú you put
  3. usted, él, ella he/she put
  4. nosotros we put
  5. vosotros Spain you all put
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they put

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to put
  2. tú you used to put
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to put
  4. nosotros we used to put
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to put
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to put

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will put
  2. tú you will put
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will put
  4. nosotros we will put
  5. vosotros Spain you all will put
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will put

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would put
  2. tú you would put
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would put
  4. nosotros we would put
  5. vosotros Spain you all would put
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would put

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I put
  2. tú (that) you put
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she put
  4. nosotros (that) we put
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all put
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they put

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I put
  2. tú (if) you put
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she put
  4. nosotros (if) we put
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all put
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they put

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú put!
  2. usted put! (formal)
  3. nosotros put! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain put! (all of you)
  5. ustedes put! (all of you)

How to use poner

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Siempre pongo las llaves en el mismo lugar.

    I always put the keys in the same place.

  2. Past

    ¿Dónde pusiste mi cargador del celular?

    Where did you put my phone charger?

  3. Imperfect

    Mi abuela ponía flores frescas en la mesa.

    My grandmother used to put fresh flowers on the table.

  4. Future

    Pondré la sopa a calentar en un momento.

    I'll put the soup on to heat in a moment.

  5. Conditional

    Yo pondría la tele en la otra pared.

    I'd put the TV on the other wall.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Quiero que pongas la mesa para seis.

    I want you to set the table for six.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Si pusieras más sal, el arroz sabría mejor.

    If you added more salt, the rice would taste better.

  8. Imperative

    ¡Pon los platos en la mesa, por favor!

    Put the plates on the table, please!

Good to know

  • "Poner la mesa" is to set the table; "ponerse" is to put on clothes.

Where you hear poner

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 2

  • Ponemos la foto arriba. We put the photo at the top.
  • Puse una vela con su nombre. I put a candle with her name.
  • Vamos a poner flores en el altar. We're going to put flowers on the altar.

Spanish · Intermediate Level 1

  • Yo pongo el sello en las cartas. I put the stamp on the letters.
  • Le puse el sello a tu carta. I put the stamp on your letter.
  • Voy a poner las fotos en el formulario. I'm going to put the photos on the form.
9
First, Cut the Onion

Beginner Level 2 · ¡Pon!

Needs a subscription 19
Don't Move!

Beginner Level 2 · le puse

Needs a subscription 21
What Is the Day of the Dead?

Beginner Level 2 · se pone · ponemos

Needs a subscription 23
The Best Mole in Oaxaca

Beginner Level 2 · ponemos

Needs a subscription 4
The Work Permit

Intermediate Level 1 · que le ponga · que lo pongas

Needs a subscription 15
Moving Day

Intermediate Level 1 · ponlos

Needs a subscription 26
Whatever You Decide

Intermediate Level 1 · que no le pusiera inyecciones

Needs a subscription 6
What Can I Get You?

Advanced Level 1 · ¿Qué os pongo? · ponme · ponnos

Needs a subscription 7
Peaches, Not Peaches

Advanced Level 1 · ¿Me pone?

Needs a subscription 16
I Miss Oaxaca

Advanced Level 1 · habéis puesto

Needs a subscription 6
In Honour of a Nun

Advanced Level 2 · le pusimos · le pusieron

Needs a subscription 13
Don't Look at the Clock

Advanced Level 3 · ¿qué nota me pones? · le voy a poner

Needs a subscription

And 4 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -er verb.